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Adelaide United were the big movers in Matchweek 16, benefiting from Macarthur FC and Melbourne City dropping points as the Reds moved to within one point of Central Coast Mariners at the top of the table.
The Reds beat Macarthur and drew to fellow Finals Series aspirants Western Sydney Wanderers to jump into second by the end of the Matchweek.
City drew 1-1 with Sydney FC and Macarthur added to their loss to the Reds by falling to a 2-1 defeat at home to Brisbane Roar, who ended their eight-game winless run with the shock result on the road.
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A Roy O’Donovan penalty spared Newcastle Jets’ blushes as they drew 1-1 with Perth Glory at Coffs International Stadium on Tuesday night.
O’Donovan proved to be Newcastle’s saviour as he made no mistake from the penalty spot to cancel out Joel Chianese’s opener.
Two sides struggling for inspiration in the final third did their best to chip away at each other in the first half but it was not until after the break that the game well and truly sprung to life.
Perth went ahead thanks to Chianese, who broke the deadlock with his first touch of the game just after the hour mark, after recently re-joining the club on loan from the Indian Super League.
Joel Chianese had an instant impact for Perth Glory on Tuesday night as he opened the scoring in his side’s 1-1 stalemate with Newcastle Jets.
Chianese had a second Glory debut to remember after he got on the scoresheet with his first touch of the game after entering the action on the hour mark.
The midfielder had only just returned to Glory for his second stint after signing with the club on loan from Indian Super League side, Hyderabad.
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Perth Glory travel to face Newcastle Jets on Tuesday, April 13 with the sole intention of halting a two-game losing streak and rejoining the hunt for a spot in the 2020/21 Finals Series.
Richard Garcia s men last tasted victory against the Jets at HBF Park in Matchweek 14, but consecutive losses to Macarthur FC and Sydney FC in Matchweek 15 were to follow, leaving Perth out of the Finals Series conversation leading into Tuesday night s clash with the Jets.
The visitors are bolstered by the return of attacking star Chris Ikonomidis. Glory boss Richard Garcia confirmed the 25-year-old would be part of the travelling squad, however it s unclear how much game time the forward would receive against the Jets on return from a knee injury sustained in February, 2020.
The Westfield Matildas haven t taken to the pitch since their 2-1 win over Vietnam in the second leg of the Olympic qualifiers. Goals to Sam Kerr and Hayley Raso on that day in March 2020 secured the win and Australia s ticket to Tokyo.
After a year with no international football, the players have reunited in the Netherlands to begin preparing for this clash against the reigning Olympic gold medallists.